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Dysgraphia treatment - developing skills through play

Dysgraphia treatment - developing skills through play

You can help a student with dysgraphia, by using Multi-Sensory Teaching Methods, developing skills through play and hand strengthening exercises.

What is Multi-Sensory?

I am frequently being asked by parents and students, 'what does multi-sensory mean'. Multi-Sensory simply means, using: eyes, ears, touch, taste and smell; using some or all these methods has shown to be the most effective way of teaching students with dyslexia.

You can see from the lists below that there are lots of things you can use to help students. Most of these things are free or very cheap to buy. Most of the time the students, especially the younger ones, think they are simply 'playing'.

Dysgraphia treatment - playing with things like:

• Practising letter formation in sand/salt trays. (I use cat litter trays they are very cheap.)
• Using chalk or coloured pens, to do letter formation on black/white board.
• Shape and pattern copying.
• Pre-formed letter shapes, children follow with their fingers.
•Templates – help to keep paper in the right place/angle.
• Tracing.
• Using ‘Etch a Sketch’ to practice writing – write, shake it and it goes away.
• Tracking objects to their 'homes', i.e., tracing along the line back to the rabbit hutch etc.
• Colouring in ‘mosaics’ or 'paint by number' are excellent to improve ‘fine motor’ control, (much better than simply writing).
• Colouring in old-fashioned 'doylies' (for cakes) is another way to improve fine-motor control.
• Threading coloured beads.
• Jigsaws.
• Juggling.
• Swimming.